Pea and Ham Soup

Pea and Ham Soup

Written by on in Soups and Starters
Pea and Ham Soup
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Pea and Ham Soup

Recipe by GeeDeeCourse: SoupsCuisine: EuropeanDifficulty: Moderate
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

3

hours 
Calories

227

kcal
Total time

3

hours 

20

minutes

You can only get the full flavour of Pea and HAM by using Ham stock. Make the Ham stock the day before or earlier in the morning while going about your daily chores. It will be worth it!!

Ingredients

  • For the Ham Stock

  • 1 ham knuckle

  • 1 celery stick

  • 1 onion

  • 1 carrot

  • 1 bay leaf

  • For the Soup

  • 250 g green split peas

  • 50 g butter

  • 1 onion roughly chopped

  • 1 large Carrot roughly chopped

  • 2 celery sticks roughly chopped

  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped

  • 1 bay leaf

  • ground white pepper

  • salt

  • crusty bread to serve

Directions

  • Place the split peas in a largish bowl, cover with cold water and leave to soak while you prepare the ham stock.
  • Put the ham knuckle in a large pot.
  • Very roughly chop the onion, celery and carrot and add to the pot with the bay leaf.
  • Cover with at least 2L of cold water and bring to the boil.
  • Let the stock boil for a minute or two, then skim any foam that may have risen to the top.
  • Turn the heat down to a simmer and let the stock cookout for about two and a half hours, or until the ham is tender and comes away from the bone easily.
  • Once the ham is cooked, allow it to cool in the stock.
  • Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large pot and add the diced onion. Sweat these off for about five minutes until soft and translucent, then add the carrot and celery and let them soften for another five minutes, then add the garlic and cook out for 2/3 minutes
  • Drain the split peas and add them to the vegetable mix, stirring well to coat with the butter,
  • Remove the ham hock from the stock and set aside.
  • Pour the stock through a fine strainer into a measuring jug, hopefully, you have just over 1½L, if not top it up with water.
  • add one 1½L of the ham stock, and keep any extra for adjusting the consistency later.
  • Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30/45 minutes, until the peas are softened and you see the soup beginning to thicken.
  • Meanwhile, take a fork and strip the ham from the bone and shred with a knife.
  • Once the peas have cooked out and are nice and soft, remove the bay leaf and with a hand blender give the soup a whizz, if you feel the consistency too thick add some reserved stock.
  • Depending on your preference, blend the soup to a smooth consistency or blend just enough to incorporate all the vegetables, leaving the soup a little rustic.
  • Add most of the shredded ham into the soup (roughly chop the remainder for garnish) and season to taste.
  • Reheat to serve
  • Serve into soup bowls topped with chopped ham,
  • Accompany with fresh crusty bread